Overcoming ACL injury

“As the manager has said a number of times, and as I knew myself from watching players before me sustain anterior cruciate ligament damage, it takes around a year to recover.

“Over these 12 months, I’ve had highs and lows, but I’ve managed to cope with it all in the best possible way.

“When I returned to action in the winter, I felt good, but I had to be careful not to suffer muscular relapses, which fortunately never happened.

“I’d accounted for a difficult year to be honest, but I’m happy not to have had any serious problems along the way, and I’ve managed to train consistently.

“Now I feel in good shape and the team even more so in this extremely important stage of our season.”

“This group has grown so much”

“Watching the team grow in stature and confidence with every passing month has helped me when I’ve not been on the pitch. Being around a group of players who are all so positive and who want to achieve great things really rubs off on you.

“That does not only apply to me, but other team-mates who have played less this season. We’re all keen to get on the pitch, but we’re also benefitting from that strength and personality of this group who are aiming at the highest objectives.

“At the end of the day, any player here would prefer to feature less but win, than to play every game and lose. It’s the team that counts for most.”

Significance of sixth straight Scudetto

“If we get our hands on a sixth straight Scudetto, that will definitely be the most significant for me along with the first of this cycle back in 2011/12.

“My maiden league title was very important because I’d never won anything before, but to win six in a row would be extraordinary. Then again, we must not stop here.”

Ever more ambitious in Europe

“To beat a team like Barcelona over two legs undoubtedly boots self-confidence in all of us and makes us believe that we can achieve great things at the end of the season.

“People talked about ‘the end of an era’ at Barcelona, but that’s not the case at all: we saw how strong they are only on Sunday when they defeated Real Madrid. They’re blessed with star players and they never give up.

“Therefore, we deserve credit for coming a long way in recent seasons and making other teams realise how difficult it is to play against us.

“That’s a process that has really come to the fore in the last three years, but this time we’ve truly confirmed just what a force we are in Europe.”

A team of countless qualities

“Our success is the fruit of an outstanding team spirit and togetherness. Some big players arrived in the summer and they bedded in perfectly straight away.

“Another key quality of ours is that willingness to vary things up and refresh in certain areas. Ever since Massimiliano Allegri arrived in 2014 we’ve made changes to the formation and evolved the way we play. Embracing new input over time has been very positive for us.

“Finally, we’re a side that doesn’t let up one inch out on the pitch. That was especially clear over the two games against Barcelona: in the first leg we pressed with real purpose in order to get as many goals as possible, then at the Camp Nou we were like an impenetrable wall such is our organisational solidity and sheer mental toughness.”

Respect for the Red and Whites

“Against Monaco, we must show that desire to give even more than we already have in the Champions League so far. They’re a side that deserve our respect. Perhaps they are the least talked about of the teams to have reached the semi-finals, but if they’ve got this far in the competition it’s because they’re proving that they’re capable of going all the way not only in France’s Ligue 1, but also in Europe. They’ve knocked out some top clubs and we’re expecting two very tough games against them.”

Exactly one year ago, the Bianconeri had returned triumphant from Florence after clinching a nail-biting 2-1 victory over Fiorentina thanks to goals by Mario Mandzukic and Alvaro Morata, not to mention Gianluigi Buffon’s heart-stopping penalty save moments before full-time.

With this result, Massimiliano Allegri’s men had put one hand on the Scudetto, which they knew would be mathematically theirs if second-placed Napoli failed to win against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico the following day.

After training that morning, everyone turned to the TV screens and watched the Giallorossi secure the home win that sealed Juventus’ 34^th Serie A title and a fifth in as many years, thus equalling the extraordinary achievement of the Bianconeri’s famous ‘Quinquennio’ side of 1930-35. This was the first time that an Italian club had managed the feat twice in their history.

Cue wild celebrations in Vinovo, Italy and beyond after a rollercoaster campaign that had ended as everyone of a black and white persuasion had wished for.

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RESPECT FOR MONACO

“Monaco are a tough side to beat. Knowing how dangerous they can be, we certainly won’t be underestimating them. I haven’t seen many of their games season but, knowing a bit about the squad and seeing them up close against us two years ago when they had the same coach, I can say they play some lovely football.

“They have pace in abundance up front and are a very slick attacking outfit. This is a team that will enter the tie with nothing to lose and the pressure will be squarely on our shoulders to go through. If they have a weakness, it could be their lack of experience, being such a young group. You could say they concede a lot of goals but score even more.”

2015 JUVE VS. 2017 JUVE

“People are making favourable comparisons between this Juventus and the one that got to the final but the only way we can prove that is by winning the trophy. I don’t know if this current vintage is better; in midfield then we had Pirlo, Vidal, Pogba and Marchisio, we had great strikers and our defence is more or less the same now.

“What you can say for certain is that this is a different team that has the experience of Berlin, losing to Bayern in unfortunate circumstances last season and beating Barcelona this time behind it; we’ve grown mentally and now we have the belief to go and win the whole thing.”

BEATING BARÇA MUST BE THE NORM

 “Our celebrations were discreet at the Camp Nou and that is exactly how it should be: yes, we’re in the semi-final but we haven’t won anything yet. We’re in a great position but everything is still up for grabs.

“We’ve played a variety of different systems in the past few years but looking at the performances we are producing at the moment, you would have to say that the 4-2-3-1 is perfect for the players we have at our disposal.”

NEW FOCUS FOR GENOA

“We struggled at Genoa earlier in the campaign; I don’t remember games in which we lost particularly well. Conceding three goals in the first 25 minutes had never happened before, at least not in my six years at the club. We’re in a different phase of the season now and we can’t afford to drop any points.”